Superspace formulation for the master equation

It is shown that the quantum master equation of the field-antifield quantization method at one-loop order can be translated into the requirement of a superfield structure for the action. The Pauli-Villars regularization is implemented in this BRST superspace and the case of anomalous gauge theories is investigated. The quantum action, including Wess-Zumino terms, shows up as one of the components of a superfield that includes the BRST anomalies in the other component. The example of W2 quantum gravity is also discussed. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}